


Fun, Celebration, Freedom

by whisperofgrace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:05:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whisperofgrace/pseuds/whisperofgrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Ruby and Jefferson throw a party when their parents are away. Emma has just broken up with Neal, and Ruby thinks that she should celebrate. Includes drinking games, sexy dancing, and both Killian and Graham flirty-goodness. (Captain Swan fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Staring at all of the options laid out on the bed, Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Can't I just wear jeans?' she asked, spreading her hands helplessly. 'I even brought a pretty top that you might approve of.'

Ruby grinned at her, shaking her head. 'Nope. No jeans!' Grabbing a dress from her bed, Ruby tossed it to her. 'Try this.'

Emma held it up against herself and turned to look in the mirror hanging over Ruby's wardrobe door. 'Really?' she asked, raising her eyebrows. The whole thing was practically made out of blue sequins.

'All right, fine,' Ruby said, sounding anything but agreeable. 'What about this one? It's sexy, but still  _safe_.' Safe could have meant a potato sack from the despairing tone she used.

Picking up the dress, Emma gave it a once over before deciding to try it on. Pulling her tank top over her head and kicking off her jeans, she undid the zipper at the back and put her arms through. 'I don't know why you're making such a big deal about tonight,' she said, raising her voice a little so Ruby could hear her as she pulled the dress over her head.

'Yes you do.' When the dress was sitting on her properly Ruby grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to do up the zipper for her. 'Jeff and his friends might just be having boys drinks 'cause Mum and Dad are away, but  _we_ are  _celebrating._ '

Celebrating. Right. 'I still don't think this is really the right thing to celebrate, Ruby.'

Ruby turned her back around and gave her a warning look. 'What better thing to celebrate? I know break ups aren't  _usually_  a good thing, but your freedom here is a  _great_  thing. We are celebrating the brilliant next chapter of your life.' Ruby grabbed their glasses from her dresser and handed Emma hers, clinking them together. 'Who needs men when you've got friends like we do, right?'

Emma couldn't help it, she laughed. 'Right, until you meet a cute guy that you want to set me up with and start asking me how I can possibly cope without some man candy in my life.'

Ruby grinned back at her. 'Don't worry about that for now.  _Tonight_ is all about "yay for freedom Emma". I'll have a man to set you up with by tomorrow, you can count on it.'

Rolling her eyes, Emma turned back around to study herself in the mirror. The dress still wasn't something that she'd normally wear, but Ruby was right - why not put in a bit of extra effort tonight? It had been too long since she'd just had a good time with her friends, rather than being held down and held back by Neal, and now that he was out of the picture she'd be damned if she wasn't going to enjoy it.

She'd broken up with him two weeks ago, but it should have been long before that. The fight had been about this very party in fact. Ruby and Jefferson were throwing an - admittedly small - party because their parents were away for the weekend, and Neal hadn't wanted her to go because he was going to be out of town. And because he couldn't go, she couldn't either.  _It's not you I don't trust, Emma, it's everyone else._

That had been the final straw to a long list of grievances that she'd kept quiet for far too long, and she'd told him that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. The only part of her that hurt was the wish that he'd at least tried to fight for her, but most of her was just relieved. Ruby was right: it was time to celebrate.

She was right about the dress too, she thought, smoothing her hands down the front. It was tamer than the others but still sexy, a dark pink number that showed just the right amount of leg and cleavage for a feel-good night. Smiling, she turned back to her friend. 'Fine, I'll wear this one. But you have to promise not to let me turn into too much of a drunken mess while I'm wearing this,' she warned her.

Ruby laughed, settling her own dress over her hips. It was a lot shorter than hers, but if anyone had the legs to pull it off, Ruby Lucas did. 'I'm planning to get you so messy that you won't even remember tonight!'

Making their way into the kitchen, Emma sat on a stool at the breakfast bar beside Alice, Jefferson's girlfriend, while Ruby starting grabbing things from the fridge and the cupboards. Alice smiled at them brightly. 'You two look great,' she said.

'Right back at ya,' Ruby said, winking at her. 'What's Jeff doing?'

Alice rolled her eyes. 'I swear, your brother takes longer to get ready than I do. People will be here soon!' she yelled, craning her neck in the general direction of Jefferson's room. They heard a muffled grumble in return and the three of them laughed.

Ruby began mixing things into a punch, grabbing a ladle and stirring it through. Alice turned toward Emma. 'I heard about you and Neal. Are you okay?'

She knew that her heart was in the right place, but she really didn't want to be thinking about Neal all night. Ruby had emptied half a bottle of vodka into the mixture, but Emma took the bottle from her as she was screwing the lid back on and tipped it over the bowl. 'We're celebrating,' she said pointedly as she emptied the bottle. She returned the grin that Ruby was giving her and started to ladle the mixture into three cups.

Jefferson joined them in the kitchen, rolling his eyes at their punch and pouring himself a whiskey, and when their friends started to arrive they moved into the lounge room. As everyone set to chatting and catching up, Emma looked around at the group surrounding her and felt pretty damned lucky. Mary Margaret and David, who had been together for years, and Aurora and Philip, who were newer but just as much in love. Along with Ruby, they had known each other all through high school, and up until graduation they had all been practically inseparable. Things had changed in the last few months - without school every day to keep them together, she'd found it harder and harder to find time to see them, until she'd practically given up on everybody but Ruby, who hadn't let her push her away.

Ruby was talking excitedly to Mary Margaret, telling her about a promotion at work a few days ago, but she when Emma's hand grabbed hers and squeezed it tightly she turned and squeezed it back, giving her a warm smile. As much as this was a night for fun, Emma had a feeling that she was probably going to be having a few emotional moments. If it wasn't for Ruby, it was very likely that Emma would have been a lot more lonely when she'd finally found the courage to break it off with Neal.

 _Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, though_ , she thought, looking around again at everyone else. Although it had been a few months since they'd had more than a passing conversation, no one seemed to be giving her a hard time for distancing herself. It was like no time had passed at all.

Ruby turned away from Mary Margaret and leaned over to whisper in her ear. 'Stop worrying. They understand. We're all just happy to have you back.'

How was it that the woman knew exactly what she was thinking? 'Thanks,' Emma whispered back, and Ruby returned to her conversation.

Emma was just starting to feel pleasantly tipsy when she looked around, frowning at the people around her. Making her way to the other side of the room, she sat down beside Alice, leaning forward to look at Jefferson. 'Where are all your friends, Jeff?' she asked, smiling to let him know that she was teasing. 'You can't count Victor, because he's spent more time talking to Ruby than you,' she pointed out, nodding over to where Ruby sat practically in her boyfriends lap. Jefferson made a big show of hating that his best friend was dating his little sister, but everyone knew Victor was smitten and treated Ruby like a princess.

Jefferson pulled a sad face at her teasing. 'Graham txt me ten minutes ago to tell me they were on their way.' Glancing away from her, he smirked and stood up, dropping his glass onto the side table. 'And speak of the devil...'

Emma followed his gaze and watched Graham walk into the room, holding his hands up in front of him. 'It's all right, it's all right,' he said. 'I'm here now, you can start the party now.'

A communal groan filled the room but Emma couldn't help but laugh. Jefferson just rolled his eyes. 'Took you long enough,' he grumbled. 'I've been accused of having no friends,' he said, sounding overly hurt and pointing his thumb at Emma.

'Well, you don't,' Graham said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 'We're just here for the drinks.'

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Emma frowned at the doorway. Jefferson had said that  _they_  were on their way, and Graham said  _we_  were just here for the drinks. Normally it was just Victor, Graham and Alice that joined them, unless...

Another tall, dark haired Irishman appeared in the doorway, drink already in hand, but it wasn't Graham. Emma barely noticed as Jefferson stood up and the two men gave each other a quick one-armed hug. 'It's good to see you, Killian,' Jefferson said warmly.

' _KILLIAN!_ '

Emma jumped slightly at Ruby's shriek as she jumped up and literally ran toward Killian, throwing her arms around him and making him fall back a few steps from her momentum. Jefferson grabbed Killian's drink quickly out of his hand before it spilled everywhere, some liquid already sloshing over the edge of the glass. 'Hello to you too, love,' Killian said, lifting her off the ground a little as he hugged her tightly, before letting her down and holding her at arm's length. 'Did you miss me?'

Ruby responded by punching his arm. 'Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? Why didn't you tell me?' she demanded, turning to stare Jefferson down.

'Last minute decision,' Killian said, shrugging lightly, then led her back over to where Victor was sitting, sinking into the couch beside him.

Realizing just how much she needed a drink and that her cup was empty, Emma went quickly to the kitchen, smiling and greeting Graham as he walked past her on his way out. As soon as she was alone she tore the fridge open, quickly pouring a drink before downing it in one go. Refilling it again, she closed the fridge and leaned back against the counter.

Why did Jefferson's friends have to be so damned attractive?

She'd expected Graham to be there, and had looked forward to seeing him - he was always friendly to her, and sometimes flirty when Neal hadn't been around. He had been the main reason for Neal's protectiveness; he'd had a big problem with the fact that she got on so well with Graham, and that he was good-looking and single.

He had had an even bigger problem with Killian, and she knew that Killian had returned the sentiment in kind, but Killian had never said anything directly to her about the subject. When Graham's cousin had left for Ireland a little over a year ago to visit family, Neal's protectiveness had eased... for a little while, anyway.

She never would have dared tell Neal about the ridiculously huge crush she'd had for Killian since Graham had introduced him to the group and he'd become fast friends with Jefferson a few years ago.

She didn't know why it flustered her so much that he was here, but she was determined to work it into her favour. She took another moment to settle herself. She knew better than to think that either Graham or Killian would consider her as anything more than a kid sister at best, but at least there were two hot, single men here for her to flirt with, and she knew that she'd get back what she gave in kind, at least from Graham. She could at least use them to boost her ego.

Returning to the lounge room, Emma found a seat next to Mary Margaret and joined in her conversation with Aurora, asking them about everything they'd been up to over the last few months but deflecting most of the questions about herself. Someone had put some music on and when one of her favourites came on Emma let herself get a little lost in the music.

After a minute or so she realized that she wasn't staring off at nothing like she usually did, but staring at Ruby and the men sitting with her on the other side of the room. Killian was talking to them animatedly, gesturing as he was telling them no doubt about his time in Ireland. As he was talking he looked up and their eyes met. He paused in what he was saying and smiled at her before turning back to the others and continuing his story.

Normally Emma would have stayed on this side of the room, happily talking with the girls and David and Philip, and normally she wouldn't have minded. But she found herself embracing Ruby's insistence for  _fun_ , and she was almost ashamed to acknowledge that if Neal had been here she wouldn't even have considered going to chat to the boys.

So, of course, that's what she wanted to do.

Grabbing her drink, she walked over to the other side of the room and slid an arm around Ruby's waist, welcoming hers around her own. Apparently Killian had found work in a pub while he'd been in Ireland and was telling them about it. Emma kept quiet, having missed the start of the story, but when he finished he turned to her and Ruby, his trademark smirk on his face. 'I'm sorry to bore you lasses with adult talk. You'll see what it's like in a few years.'

The other men snickered and she elbowed the closest one to her, Jefferson. 'Shut up, you lot,' she said, trying to get him in the ribs but he caught her arm.

Ruby had crossed her arms and was glaring daggers at Killian. 'You can hardly talk, mister. You're still several drinks behind the rest of us tonight.'

Shrugging, he brought his glass to his lips and took a mouthful. 'We were late. I came with Graham, blame him.'

Graham looked so indignant that Emma couldn't help but laugh. 'You can't blame me! Not only did I pick you up from the airport today, but I had to wait for you to pretty yourself up. Seriously, I've never known someone how takes that long in the shower. I should have just left you at home,' he grumbled.

'Ah, so it's not just Jeff that takes longer to get ready than a girl,' Emma teased. Jeff poked his tongue out at her. 'And you think  _we're_  the children?' she scoffed.

'This still doesn't change the fact that you've got catching up to do,' Ruby pointed out, directing the conversation back to where she wanted it. A grin slowly took over her face. 'I think it's been far too long since we've played a game of pool, don't you, Jeff?'

Emma felt her competitive side catch a light at the mention. 'What's so interesting about a game of pool that gives you that look?' Philip asked warily, coming up to join them.

'We play it like doubles but with a bigger group,' Victor explained. 'So to make the game move quicker, instead of taking an extra shot for any reason, the other team takes a drink. How many shot glasses do you have?' he asked Jefferson.

'Enough,' Ruby said quickly.

Killian crossed his arms. 'You know that for this to get me drunker than you, my team has to lose,' he told her.

'I know,' she said. 'That's why I'm having Emma on my team. Girls versus boys.'

Killian's eyes flickered toward Emma curiously, then back to Ruby, who he smirked at. 'Men, darling.'

Ruby raised her chin defiantly. 'I said what I meant.'

Laughing, he picked up his drink and stopped leaning on the back of the couch. 'All right then. Is the table still in the same room?'

As Victor and Graham informed the others of their required participation and herded them into the next room, Emma and Ruby went to find enough shot glasses. Killian had followed them into the kitchen and was looking through the bottles collected on the counter. 'So what are we shotting, then?'

'Well since Emma put  _all_  of the vodka in the punch, probably not that,' Ruby said, giving Emma a teasing look as she went to the fridge to refill both of their drinks. Emma opened the cupboard and began pulling down shot glasses. There were only six that she could see, and she needed... ten? No, eleven. She knew Ruby had more, so she stood on her tiptoes and reached up into the cupboard, finding another two. Who put small glasses on a top shelf, seriously?

'Want some?' she heard Ruby ask, and she looked up to see her offering some of their punch to Killian.

'I'll try it first,' he said warily, taking her cup and taking a sip.

Biting her lip, she hoisted herself up onto the counter, kneeling on the surface for the gain in height. She still couldn't quite see, but she could feel a few shot glasses with the tips of her fingers.

'Not bad,' she heard Killian say.

She heard another drink being poured. 'So what happened?' Ruby asked bluntly.

There was silence for a few seconds, and Emma stilled her movements. She knew that Killian pretty much saw Ruby as the younger sister that he'd never had, and that Ruby returned the sentiment, and she didn't want to intrude on what she assumed from the heavy pause was going to be a serious topic. Especially since she was kneeling rather comically on the kitchen counter, suddenly trying to pretend she was invisible.

'I told you. I just missed home.'

'I thought that Ireland was your home.'

'No. It used to be. Not anymore.'

There was another long pause. Emma's arm began to ache from holding it up, so she closed her fingers around a shot glass and slowly lowered it down to place it on the counter. If she grabbed them one at a time, and slowly...

'Is it because of what happened with Milah?'

A heavy sigh. 'No, Ruby, it's not,' Killian said tiredly. 'We broke up a long time ago.'

'Jefferson only told me about it last week.'

'I know, because I told him not to. I don't want a big deal made about it.'

'Killian, if you've come home because you need to heal -'

'I  _stayed_  there because I needed to heal, okay Ruby?' He was starting to sound angry, but Emma heard him take a deep breath and when he spoke again he sounded calmer. 'I'm home because I'm better, love. I've done angry, I've done bitter, but I'm home now because I'm ready to get on with my life. And because I know you way too well, I'll begrudgingly talk to you about it in more detail later, but not while I'm trying to enjoy myself with friends I haven't seen for over a year.'

There was some movement, then silence, then footsteps leaving the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, Emma realized that she was a little unsettled by what she'd heard. She felt like she'd intruded on a close family matter, but surely they hadn't just plain forgotten she was there. She was about to reach for the last shot glass that she needed when an arm appeared beside her, reaching past her to grab what she'd been looking for. 'If you need help, love, all you have to do is ask.'

Emma gasped and jumped in surprise, bumping her head on the cabinet door. She thought he'd left with Ruby. She closed her eyes and her hands went to her head, groaning slightly in pain and embarrassment, then jumped slightly again when strong hands grabbed her around her waist and twisted her around so that she was sitting on the edge of the counter, her legs dangling over the edge. 'Let me look,' he said quietly, pulling her hands away from her head.

She kept her eyes closed as she felt his fingers running across her temple, pushing her hair back gently. When his examination stopped and his hand went to her chin, lifting her head slightly, she reluctantly opened her eyes, nervous about what she would see.

He was standing  _so close_ to her, his hip pressing against the side of her thigh, one hand still on her waist while the other rested under her chin. Damn it, when did the air get so thick?

Her lips parted slightly as she stared into his concerned eyes. 'Are you okay, Emma?'

His words startled her out of her reverie and she blinked hard, taking in a deep breath. 'Yeah. Yeah, it wasn't hard. Just... mortified,' she said, grimacing in embarrassment.

Killian chucked and stepped away from her, and the air returned to the room. 'Maybe I have more catching up to do than I thought,' he joked, helping her down from the counter.

Glaring at him, she straightened her dress quickly and ran her hand through her hair, hoping it hadn't messed too badly. 'What are we drinking?' she asked, stacking the shot glasses inside each other so she could carry them all at once. Then she saw the cup of punch that Ruby had left for her on the breakfast bar and turned her glare to that. She didn't want to make two trips.

'Tequila, since apparently you used all of the vodka,' he teased her, grabbing a bottle of amber liquid and picking up both his glass and hers with his other hand, heading toward the kitchen door.

'Um, thanks,' she said, a little surprised, as she followed him out of the room. Then she noticed that his cup held punch too, and she remembered what he'd just said. 'Hey, if you drink all of our punch then you have to offer up your whiskey once it's gone!'

'Deal,' he said, looking over his shoulder and waggling his eyebrows at her as they passed through the lounge room and headed down the hall to the games room.

Emma considered him silently as she followed him the rest of the way. He'd gone from serious and annoyed with Ruby to warm and teasing with her in a matter of seconds, and the worry in his eyes when he'd looked her over had been genuine. Not that the concern had really surprised her - they'd known each other a long time, even if it was only through Jefferson and Ruby - but she could swear that his teasing had bordered on flirting...

Before she entered the games room she took a deep breath, making herself straighten her thoughts. It was a nice fantasy to think that he'd care for her, that his flirting would mean something, but she'd known him long enough to know that he flirted with everyone, including every other woman here. And that suited her agenda for tonight perfectly, didn't it? Fun, celebration, freedom.

Walking around the room, she made everyone take a shot glass, and Killian followed after her, filling each glass up. 'Rules are simple,' Jefferson said loudly, explaining for Philip's benefit - everyone else here had played this game many times before. 'Girls have a turn, boys have a turn, repeat. Because it can get pretty messy, I don't particularly care if each person in the team goes in order, as long as everyone gets a chance. If you get a ball down, everyone on the other team has a shot for each ball sunk. If you don't hit anything or the ball goes off the table, or anything else, everyone on your team has a shot. If you pocket the black ball before you're supposed to, your team finishes their drink. The overall losing team finishes their drink.'

Philip shrugged. 'Simple enough.'

Killian gave her back her own drink once he'd topped up her shot glass and set the bottle of tequila on the table, then insisted on breaking as Jefferson fussed over the position of the triangle. When he bent over the table, lining up his cue, Emma swallowed hard, quite enjoying the view that his tight jeans gave while he was in that position. This game was a fantastic idea.

Before taking the shot, he paused and looked up at Ruby, who was standing on the other side of the room. 'You do remember that I've been working in a pub for the last year,' he said, winking, then took his shot.

'Fuck,' Ruby said, echoing Emma's thoughts.

He pocketed four bloody balls with his break.

Straightening, Killian held out the cue, not looking as David took it from him. He glanced at the table, then grinned smugly around the room. 'Looks like we're bigs,' he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. 'Come on, ladies, drink up.'

Emma exchanged annoyed glances with the other girls before throwing her first shot back, grimacing as the tequila burned her throat. Aurora gasped next to her. 'No lemon?' she asked weakly.

She heard a familiar chuckle beside her, then Killian's warm hand was holding hers steady as her shot glass was being refilled. 'Toughen up, princess,' Philip teased her.

After their second shot Jefferson disappeared and came back with another bottle of tequila, and then Killian stayed between herself and Aurora, filling their glasses up twice more. She pulled a face at him after she'd taken her forth shot, and he backed off to put the bottle down. 'Let's get on with it,' she said, taking a cue from the wall and holding it out to Ruby.

Emma was content to sit back and let the others have a go first, happy to watch the game. She'd found a seat on a stool next to a table that had her sitting with her side pressed quite comfortably against Graham's. She didn't deny that it felt pretty good to have some new male contact, innocent though it was, and he'd always made her laugh.

Thankfully most of the other girls could play reasonably well, and only Mary Margaret pocketed the white ball, causing the girls to all take a drink at the humour of the men. Although they did hold their own aside from that. After a while Killian took the cue from Victor, who had just taken a turn, and moved to stand in front of Emma. 'Ruby made it sound like you had some serious skill, Swan. Your turn.'

'You can't pick who goes next, Killian,' Ruby complained, trying to take the cue from him.

He pulled it out of her reach, holding it out to Emma and looking down at her challengingly.

As she stood up, Emma regretted leaving it so long before taking a turn. She'd had a stupid amount of shots already, as well as still drinking her punch, and she was feeling pretty unsteady on her feet. She was normally pretty good at pool, having played quite a bit since she spent a fair amount of time at Ruby's house, but the problem was that when she was drunk, she either played brilliantly, or terribly, with no middle ground. And although she probably wouldn't call herself  _really_  drunk yet, she was well on her way there.

Eyeing the spread, she picked the ball she wanted to go for and found her position at the table, standing opposite Killian. She pulled her arm back to take the shot, then glanced up quickly, feeling his eyes on her.

His expression made her freeze. He was staring at her so intently that it made her breath catch in her throat... until she realized that he wasn't looking at her face. Glancing down surreptitiously, she noticed with horror just how much of a view he was getting of her breasts as she leaned over the table. Fair enough, she'd been checking out his ass before in the same position, but he wasn't even trying to hide it! Looking up at him again, she felt a hot blush spreading up her neck at the smirk that he was giving her. And then he winked!

Blowing her breath out carefully, she tried to focus on the game and took her shot... and skewed the ball, knocking it gently into a striped ball.

A groan filled the room at the same time as the boys started laughing. Killian's smirk just widened. 'Emma, you were supposed to be our secret weapon!' Ruby whined, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her comically. 'You were supposed to kick their asses for us!'

'Drink up, ladies,' Graham said cheerfully, holding out a shot glass in each hand. Emma glared at him then snatched one from him, downing it quickly.

She shoved the cue into his hand and pushed him toward the table. 'Shut up and take a turn, Humbert.'

Graham walked over to the table, looking over the table with a grin on his face. There were only a few of their balls left on the table, and Emma knew that if something didn't change soon, they'd be the losers. The fiercely competitive side of her roared to life again, fuelled by the buzz from the shots, and as Graham began to line himself up, she forced her shot glass into Ruby's hand, grinning at her, then walked casually over to stand next to Mary Margaret, across the table from where Graham was. If Killian enjoyed an eyeful so much, then surely Graham would too. She saw Killian's eyes on her again and this time she winked at him, then leaned smoothly on the edge of the table, careful that where she put her elbow wouldn't physically interfere with the game play.

She made sure that her breasts rested on her lower arm in a way that would push them up slightly, and turned her head to talk to Mary Margaret for a few seconds. Her friend clearly saw through her charade, however, since she was trying to subdue a fit of giggles as she attempted to answer Emma's question. She glanced at Ruby, who was laughing outright at her, clutching Victor's arm, then at Killian, who chuckled then mouthed something at her that looked like  _vixen_ , before she looked back to Graham, trying her best to look innocent.

The poor man's eyes were wide, and she saw his throat move as he swallowed hard. 'That isn't fair,' he said hoarsely.

'Take the shot, Graham,' she said, keeping her voice low and hopefully seductive. If anyone hadn't been laughing before they were now, and Emma felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards as her control wavered.

'Cheater,' he muttered, before taking his shot.

He hit the wrong ball, sending a small one down a pocket, followed by the white ball.

'Yes!' Straightening up, she hi-fived Mary Margaret before picking up a bottle and a shot glass and walking over to Graham, who pouted at her.

'Cheater,' he said again, but he grinned after a moment, clinking his shot glass against the bottle before downing it.

Turning around, she found Killian standing in front of her, holding out his glass. 'Now I understand what your skills are, Swan,' he said as she filled his glass. 'Distraction.'

 _You started it._  'I have skills,' she protested loudly, poking him hard in the chest. He raised his eyebrow at her, and she realized that she must be bloody drunk, because she was finding that incredibly sexy...

'Emma has skills,' Mary Margaret said, coming to stand next to her, her hands on her hips. 'Take another shot,' she said, holding out the cue.

'She just had a shot!' Victor protested, then huffed as Ruby's elbow collided with his stomach.

'If none of the ladies have a problem with it, I don't see why not,' Jefferson said, sharing a smile with Emma. He knew how well she could play - normally, anyway - and she thought that he probably wanted to see the smirk ripped from Killian's face as much as she did. When all of the other girls nodded their assent, Emma took the cue and turned toward the table, walking slowly around it until she found the position she needed.

Bending over the table, she made herself really focus. When she'd been drinking she had to concentrate harder to find the right spot, but that sometimes worked in her favour. As her eyes skimmed over the balls, she was about to line up her shot when she noticed something about how some of the other balls were lined up.

Returning to the other side of the table, she eyed it from her new point of view and decided to take the risk. Lining herself up again, she was grateful that she didn't have Killian distracting her by staring down her top this time, until she realized the view he must be getting from standing behind her. She wondered exactly how much leg she was showing while she was bent over like this, but pushed down the desire to run her hand down the back of her dress to check. Swallowing, she forced him out of her mind, forced everything out of her mind, and took the shot.

One ball down, two, three.

When the balls stopped moving, she spun around, grinning, and took a little bow in Killian's direction. 'Skill,' she said simply, as the girls clapped at her with mock-seriousness.

He spread his hands in surrender, nodding his head to her, and she walked back over to take a seat next to Alice, letting someone else organize the three shots each for the men.

The rest of the game went a little slower. Emma let the other girls play, and although they hit the right balls each time, not a lot went in. The boys fared about the same, but after her show of dominance, she was content with whichever way the game went. Looking around at how much fun everyone was having, she felt more than content - she felt  _good_. She felt included in a way that she hadn't in a long time, carefree and  _fun._

She wished Neal could see her now. Staring down at her drink, she wondered what he was doing. He was in Boston for the weekend, she knew, working hard for a promotion that he'd been going after for what felt like forever.

Shit. Should she have waited until after his trip? She had absolutely no idea how he felt about the split, hadn't spoken to him since then, but nobody liked being broken up with, surely. Was he miserable? Had she ruined his chance this weekend?

Here she was, having the most fun she'd had in years, and he could be struggling.

And there it was.

Yep, right there.

Guilt.

Taking her drink, she slipped out quietly, not looking at anyone as she fled the room. She stopped in the kitchen quickly, refilling her drink with shaking hands, knowing that she'd need it, before ducking out into the backyard.

Kicking her shoes off, Emma found her way to the bench in the middle of the small garden, working by memory more than sight before her eyes adjusted to the night. The cold air felt heavenly on her hot skin and down her tight throat, and she threw her head back, squeezing her eyes shut, determined not to let any tears fall. She fought hard to keep control, breathing slowly and deliberately.

After a few minutes she heard the back door slide open. 'Emma?' Jefferson called out softy.

'Yeah,' she answered quietly, knowing he'd be able to hear her. The door slid shut again and she heard footsteps on the concrete before his feet hit the grass. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark enough that she could see him approaching, and she was glad that he hadn't turned the outside light on - for some reason, the darkness was welcoming, peaceful.

He sat down beside her, holding out a shot glass. She laughed softly. 'Just one?'

'Yep. You guys won, even without you there to cheat for your team.'

She smiled faintly at him and took the shot glass, leaning her head against him. His arm moved around her shoulders and she leant her head against his. 'Normally people don't offer drinks to the drunk, upset girl,' she told him lightly, studying the liquid.

He was quiet for a moment. 'You're not upset because you're drunk. You're having fun because you're drunk, and you're sad because you're lonely. More alcohol means more fun, equals less lonely. As you're honorary big brother, I call it my job to cheer you up.'

His words warming her, she took the shot, then put the glass on the bench next to her. 'I'm not lonely,' she told him quietly, relaxing into the feel of him rubbing her arm. It was cool outside, but not cold, and she knew he meant it for the comfort. 'I am having fun, and that's the problem. I should be feeling  _more_  lonely, shouldn't I? Everyone's been so good to me. And I don't miss him. I feel sorry for him, but I don't miss him. I think that makes me a horrible person.'

Jefferson was silent for a few minutes, then gave her a quick squeeze. 'You shouldn't feel bad, Emma. I wouldn't normally try and tell you what to do, not with something like this, but breaking up with Neal was the right thing to do. The fact that you're having so much fun tonight is only a testament to that, and he had plenty of time to realize that he should be treating you better. You're better than he is, and now you can find someone who can show that to you.'

Smiling up at him, she rolled her eyes playfully. 'Great, are you going to try and set me up with someone, too?'

He grinned back at her. 'Let me guess. Ruby's already offered?'

'How did you know?'

They sat in silence for a little while longer, then Jefferson let her go and stood up. 'If you need some more time, take what you need. But I think you should come back inside and spend some time with your friends. We're all here for you.' He held his hand out to her.

She eyed it for a minute. She'd gotten so used to feeling like a loner when she was with Neal but Jefferson, and everyone else tonight, was showing her that she didn't have to live like that. She put her hand in his, letting him pull her to her feet, and followed him toward the house. She bent to pick up her shoes but stumbled and almost fell over, so she decided to leave them for tomorrow and followed Jefferson inside.


	2. Chapter 2

The others had gathered in the lounge room again, and although she got a few strange glances, nobody said anything. Someone had turned the music up and Ruby had dragged Aurora and Alice into a clear spot to dance, but Emma was not quite drunk enough for that just yet. Dropping down on the couch between David and Mary Margaret, she put herself fully into a conversation about all kinds of nostalgia - they'd all been friends for such a long time, and before long herself and Mary Margaret were in a fit of giggles while David shook his head at them, fighting a grin, as they reminisced about all the stupid things they'd done in their early teens.

Her cup ran empty far too frequently, but every time it did someone else was getting up to get a drink and she managed to plead them into getting one for her as well. When she finally had to use the bathroom as well, she drained her drink and stood up. Taking a step, she had to reach out and grab onto the closest thing - David - to stop herself from falling over. Apparently she was drunker than she thought, but she didn't mind. A couple pairs of hands pushed her into an upright position, and she stumbled off to the toilet, calling back at them that she was fine, just fine.

As she was washing her hands Ruby practically fell into the bathroom - she looked just as awkward on her feet as she felt, but at least Emma had taken her shoes off - Ruby still wore her heels. 'Oh, Emma. How are you doing?' she asked, only slurring her words a little.

'I'm great,' she said, and was proud of how much she actually meant it.

Ruby wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. 'I'm so glad you're having fun.' A second later she pulled back, eyes wide. 'You should dance with us!'

Emma laughed. 'Um, not yet.'

Ruby winked at her rather exaggeratedly. 'Ah, I see. I haven't decided who you're really flirting with. Killian, or Graham?'

'Ruby!' She clasped her hand over her friends mouth and looked around wildly, but of course no one was nearby. 'Shh!' Lowering her hand, she grinned. 'Both?' she said, shrugging. Ruby's squeal made her wish she'd left her hand over her mouth, but Emma made do with just rolling her eyes. 'Don't you even think of saying anything to anybody, not even Victor, or I'll have someone smother you in your sleep tonight,' she warned.

'I won't say anything tonight, but you have to tell me all about it in the morning. I know they're both big flirts anyway, but I'm just glad you're having such a good time.' Ruby excused herself to the toilet and Emma headed for the kitchen.

Setting her empty cup on the bench, she opened the fridge to pull out the punch bowl, but found herself staring at an empty spot on the shelf. She frowned. Where the hell had it gone? Um. What?

She felt something brushing her shoulder, and spun around to find Killian standing in front of her with his arm reached out, his hand resting on the side of the fridge. Between his arm and the door, he'd practically cornered her up against the fridge, and all she could think was how close he was. He leaned his head in slightly and she found herself swallowing.

His free hand came up to twine in some of her hair that rested on her shoulder between his fingers. She looked down, watching his hand. 'So where's Cassidy?' he asked quietly, startling her when he finally spoke.

She looked back up at him and wondered at the look in his eyes. She couldn't quite read it, but she thought she could see genuine curiosity. 'Not here,' she said, not wanting to think about Neal. But then she wondered why he'd be asking. 'We broke up,' she elaborated.

Curiously, she could have sworn that he started to smile before his face ended up in a scowl. 'Are you okay? Did he hurt you?'

The words sounded almost like a growl, and Emma was already flustered enough by his proximity. And there was nowhere to run to. 'No. I mean, yes, I'm okay. No, he didn't hurt me. It was a good break up. Um, I mean, um, I broke up with him.'

She wasn't imagining it; he definitely smiled. But that was it - he backed off, pulling her away from the fridge and closing the door. It was only then that she realized just how cold her back felt, only then that she managed to get her breathing under control. Frowning, she walked past him to the breakfast bar. 'There's no more punch left,' she said helplessly, gesturing toward the bowl.

He followed her and picked up a cup next to the empty punch bowl. 'This is the last of it, sorry. You should have it.'

Emma took the cup from him and stared at it for a few seconds before she looked up at him. The intense look in his eyes from a few minutes ago was replaced by warmth, the faint smile at his lips apparent in his eyes. She wished he'd smile like that more often, genuine happiness rather than a smirk. And he was looking at her like that...

 _Wow, get a grip, Emma_. Blinking a few times and shaking her head slightly to focus herself, she held it back to him, remembering their conversation from earlier. 'No, you poured this for yourself, it's yours.' She grinned at him. 'You have to let me drink your whiskey, remember?'

He stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then laughed. He started to turn around when someone else entered the kitchen, and they both looked up to see Graham looking at Killian sheepishly.

'What?' Killian asked slowly, looking worried.

Graham pressed his lips together and raised his eyebrows, looking between the two of them. 'Well. We may have possibly perhaps maybe drunk all of your whiskey.'

Killian frowned at his cousin, then turned back to Emma. 'Graham drank all my whiskey,' he repeated. 'You can -'

'It wasn't just me,' Graham interrupted, sitting down on the other side of the breakfast bar and resting his head in his hand, closing his eyes.

Killian just kept frowning at Graham for a few seconds, and Emma was about to ask him if he was okay before he walked off, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen. Emma thought about going after him but before she could make a decision one way or the other he was back, pulling a bottle out of a brown paper bag. 'I have rum!' he exclaimed, a pronouncement of joy if she'd ever heard one. 'I bought some at the airport, I was going to drink it with Jeff while I'm staying here for the next few days.'

He was holding it out to her, but she held her hands up in front of her. 'I can't drink the rum that you bought to share with Jefferson,' she said, aghast.

Before either of them could say anything else, Graham's hand reached out and he snatched the bottle from Killian's hand with a speed that impressed Emma considering his apparent state of inebriation. 'Well I can,' he said, twisting the top off and tipping his head back, drinking straight from the bottle. When he was done he held it out to Emma. 'Now it's open, so you might as well.'

'You've still got the lid. I'm sure rum keeps,' she pointed out.

Graham looked down at the lid in his hand, then at her, at the bottle, back to the lid. Dropping it on the ground, he stepped on it, twisting his shoe against the ground to flatten it, then threw it in the bin. 'What lid?' he asked innocently, coming to lean against the bench beside Emma.

If she did anymore eye-rolling tonight she'd probably loosen something important up there. She looked at Killian who returned her amused expression and nodded, but before she could take a drink Mary Margaret and David came into the room. David was practically holding Mary Margaret up.

'There you are! Emma, our taxi's here, we have to go!' Mary Margaret spoke so quickly that the words kind of melded together, and it took Emma a minute to realize what she'd said.

When she did, she looked up hopelessly between Killian and Graham. 'I don't want to leave yet,' she said sadly, turning back to her friends.

Mary Margaret just looked at her blankly for a second. 'Oh. Well, that's, um... Give me a minute.' And she disappeared, heading back into the lounge room, dragging David behind her.

When she returned she had Ruby with her instead. 'You can stay here!' Ruby said excitedly. 'Philip and Aurora are going to split the taxi with Mary Margaret and David, and you can sleep in my bed! Shut the hell up, you two,' she said warningly to Graham and Killian, who had exchanged obvious looks and raised eyebrows.

'Are you sure that's okay?' she asked, looking between Mary Margaret and Ruby.

'It's fine, it's fine. I'll call you tomorrow,' Mary Margaret yelled over her shoulder as David pushed her gently from the room.

When she turned back to the Irishmen, Graham was holding the bottle out to her again. Smiling, she took a drink. The rum burned on the way down and she cleared her throat after she swallowed. 'I am going to have the worst hangover in the world tomorrow morning,' she said, handing the bottle to Killian. She was going to pay for all the drinks that she'd mixed.

'Probably not worse than mine,' Graham said, grabbing her hand with one of his and taking the bottle of rum from Killian in the other. 'Come dance with me, Emma,' he said, grinning down at her.

'What? No!' She tried to pull her hand away but she was laughing, and she was getting to the point that she didn't really care anymore. It was late, she was drunk, and hopefully no one would really notice if she made an absolute idiot of herself. The music was loud and everyone that was still here was dancing; Ruby and Victor, Jefferson and Alice. She was one hundred percent sure that Ruby had dragged Victor up there forcibly, but it was harder to tell with Jefferson and Alice - they were both as crazy as the other.

They danced as a group, Killian joining them as well after heavy encouragement from Ruby, the lot of them falling over each other and laughing constantly, Emma spinning between everyone, dancing with everyone. She found herself dancing with Ruby and somehow the bottle of rum was in her hand. Still moving to the music, she tried to take the lid off before remembering that there wasn't one. After she drank she offered it to Ruby, who opened her mouth for it and let Emma tip the bottle to her lips.

After a minute Emma leaned closer toward Ruby, yelling softly in her ear to be heard over the music. 'The boys look like they're having less fun if we're not dancing with them,' she said, pointing over to where the men stood a couple of metres away, swaying obligingly to the music but obviously not that into it.

Ruby grinned at her wickedly before pulling Alice toward them and repeating to her what Emma had just said. 'Should we give them a show?' she added at the end, looking between Emma and Alice.

Emma recognized the suggestive glint in Ruby's eye and laughed, grabbing her hand and turning her back to her, and pulling Alice in front of her. She positioned herself in the middle on purpose, knowing that Jefferson would probably find it utterly too disturbing to think his girlfriend grinding up against his sister was attractive. The three of them danced together to the music, moving their bodies together, their hands running over each other suggestively enough to get an audiences' blood pumping. And they had an audience, all right.

Emma could feel the eyes on her, on them, but she didn't look up. Trying to keep her eyes closed, she moved her lips to the words. After a minute she realized that Alice had left, but she continued to dance with Ruby, enjoying how powerful she felt as her fingers twined with Ruby's and they moved together.

'Keep dancing,' Ruby said in her ear before suddenly she was gone too. Emma didn't question her and kept her body moving to the music. The song changed. The music was a little slower but the beat was still steady, and Emma moved to the tune, losing herself in the music. It was almost therapeutic, and she started to run her hands over her own body, down her sides, up across her stomach and between her breasts, twisting in her hair.

She bumped into something hard and stopped moving, holding her hands out to try and regain her balance. Hands grabbed her waist, strong warm hands, steadying her. When she looked up and saw Killian holding her, her breath caught in her throat. 'Hi,' she said breathlessly.

He was looking at her so intensely, something hot simmering in his eyes. 'Hi,' he said. He spoke quietly but somehow she still heard him over the music.

She was glad that he was here. She put her hands on his chest to hold herself a little steadier. It must have been him that she'd just bumped into. 'Are you having a good time?' she asked him loudly. When he just smiled slightly she frowned. 'You should be having fun. Tonight should be about you. Why aren't you having fun? It's good that you're home.'

His smile spread as she spoke. 'I'm having fun, I promise. But tonight isn't about me, it's about you.'

Emma frowned at him. Had he been talking to Ruby? 'Did Ruby tell you that we're celebrating?'

'No. But I'm glad that you are.'

She smiled up at him shyly, but after a moment the smile faded. Their bodies were swaying together slightly. When had he gotten so close? 'Oh, ok,' she said, stepping backwards and holding her hands up between them. 'I think I need some air,' she said, letting her breath out slowly.

There was that concerned look again. 'Emma, are you all right?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute.' She turned and started walking toward the back door.

He was walking beside her, with his hand on her lower back. 'I'll come out with you,' he told her.

Emma stopped in her tracks. 'No, you can't come!' she said adamantly. 'When you're close, the air goes away. That's why I need to go outside.' Wasn't it obvious?

He looked confused but let her go. She closed the door behind her and leant against it - she only needed a minute to cool down, then she'd be all right. Some explanations from the world would be nice as well, while she was at it.

Killian usually flirted with everyone, but he'd never made anything close to a pass at her before. She wasn't sure, but she had a feeling that he'd actually been acting a little interested. Did a childhood crush constitute real feelings for someone when you were grown up?

Damn right it did, if her feelings right now were anything to go by.

She was well aware of exactly how much she'd drunk, in so far as that she couldn't actually remember how much she'd drunk, but the cold night air was settling her thoughts a little. Had she seriously just told him that she couldn't breathe around him? Still, the topic of whether she had real feelings for Killian Jones was something that could be addressed tomorrow. Right now, it was probably time for bed.

Suddenly the night was quiet, and Emma turned around to see Killian turning off the sound system through the glass sliding door. Pulling it open, she stepped through and accepted the glass of water that he held out for her. Smiling at his thoughtfulness, she went to take a sip, and didn't stop drinking until the glass was empty.

Killian was smiling at her, almost a smirk. 'Thirsty?' he asked.

'Mmm,' she said, looking around. 'Where did everyone go?'

He followed her gaze around the empty, messy room. 'I'm guessing they went to bed. I didn't see Jeff and Alice go, but Victor pulled Ruby away from you rather forcibly.'

'Oh.' She was supposed to sleep in Ruby's room. 'I guess it's the couch for me, then.' It's not like she hadn't slept on it before.

Killian frowned apologetically. 'Yeah, about that.' Taking her hand, he pulled her around the couch. Graham chose that moment to let out a loud snore. Emma started to laugh but the sound quickly died in her throat.

'I guess I'll be pulling up a nice piece of comfy carpet,' she said, trying to not sound too dejected.

'Don't be ridiculous.' His hand still holding hers, he started leading her through the house, flicking the lights off as he went. 'You can sleep in the spare bed. I'll sleep on the floor in the lounge room.'

'That's hardly fair,' she protested as he led her into the spare room. She'd slept here plenty of times, too. There was an open overnight bag in the corner that she guessed belonged to him.

He let go of her hand and stepped toward the door. 'Good night, Emma,' he said.

Emma bit her lip, thinking quickly. 'Wait,' she said, just before he closed the door. He opened it again enough to poke his head through. He was just looking at her, and she realized that she had to say something else but she didn't really know what words to use. 'It's a big bed,' she settled with eventually.

A few expressions settled on his face for a few seconds before his face settled into a smirk. 'Are you inviting me to your bed, Emma Swan?' he asked her, grinning, before ducking under the pillow that she threw at him.

'To sleep!' she emphasised, pulling back the covers. 'And bring back that pillow.'

He came back into the room, slowly closing the door behind him. 'Are you sure?' he asked her, all jesting forgotten.

Smiling faintly, she nodded. She went to kick off her shoes before realizing that she wasn't wearing any, then her hands gripped at her dress. 'Shit. I don't have anything to sleep in. I could borrow something of Ruby's...'

Killian raised his eyebrow at her as he walked further into the room, moving to stand on the other side of the bed. 'I wouldn't do that, if I were you,' he warned her. She remembered about what Killian had said about Victor dragging Ruby away, and the whole reason why she was sleeping in here in the first place, and found herself heartily agreeing with him. After a moment he moved across to his bag and opened it, digging inside before pulling out a shirt. 'Here, sleep in this.'

He tossed it across to her, and she caught it and held it up against herself. It was long enough to reach her mid-thigh, which was hardly worse than the dress she was wearing, she guessed. 'Thank you,' she said, reaching for her zipper. She paused, biting her lip. 'Turn around?'

He grinned at her and started unbuttoning his shirt. 'You as well then, love,' he said, twirling his finger in a circle to indicate she should spin around, too.

Turning around quickly, she reached awkwardly for the zipper at her back and managed to slide it down without help, but she looked quickly over her shoulder to check if he was peeking before she slid it off. She caught a quick glimpse of his bare well-muscled back before she turned her back on him again, quickly sliding off the dress. She hesitated before removing her bra as well, knowing that she should probably keep it on for decency but she always woke up sore if she slept with a bra on, and as long as he kept to his side of the bed he wouldn't even notice.

Folding her dress roughly and tucking her bra underneath it, she turned back to the bed just in time to see him slipping beneath the covers, and just caught sight of his torso, his toned stomach and his chest covered with a decent amount of dark hair before his body disappeared under the blanket. Moving to the door, she flicked off the light before feeling her way back to the bed, slipping under the covers. Her reflex was to spread out, grateful to be lying down after a big night, but she kept as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

Neither of them spoke. She'd felt so tired not that long ago, but now she was wide awake, her blood pumping loudly in her ears, which were ringing slightly. At least the room wasn't spinning, she thought. After a little while she heard Killian's breathing even out, and she shuffled in a little bit, worried that if she actually fell asleep so close to the bed, she'd fall over the edge in her sleep.

There was a small digital clock on the bedside table on Killian's side of the bed, and it threw enough light that after a while Emma's eyes adjusted enough that she could vaguely make some things out in the darkness. Lying on her stomach, she propped her head up on one arm and tried to study him as best as she could, which was not very well in the dim light. She could kind of see his shape, but that was just about it.

She was about to turn her back on him and try to get some sleep when fingers brushed hers where they lay spread out between them, and then his hand closed lightly over hers. She held her breath, wondering if he was moving in his sleep, but when his thumb starting stroking at the back of her hand, she let it out slowly.

Slowly, she turned her hand around so that her palm was facing upwards, and he clasped her hand properly, twining their fingers together.

They lay like that for a little while, before Emma's curiosity got the better of her. She shifted slightly on the bed, little enough that she could have just been moving in her sleep, but enough to get her a closer to him. And his hand tightened on hers slightly.

It was a few minutes before he moved in, shuffling over in my the same way that she had, and she used his movement to spur one of her own, coming in a little closer again. Emma could see his shape so close, even if she couldn't make out any of his features, and she could feel his breath against her lips.

A part of her still thought that maybe he was asleep, or that she was. Even when their noses brushed together, she knew that this could only be happening in her dreams.

She sucked in her breath when a hand touched her cheek, but relaxed into his touch, the movements causing their noses to brush again. His hand moved across her cheek, his thumb rubbing against her skin as his fingers spread out over the back of her head, twining through her hair. She knew without a doubt that she wanted him to pull her in and kiss her more than she'd ever wanted anything before, but he kept the distance between them, just massaging her scalp gently with the tips of his fingers, and she knew that the next move was hers.

She should lean in and kiss him. God, she wanted to. She wanted to know what he tasted like, what his lips felt like on hers, how his skin felt under her fingers. God, she wanted to have a feel of those muscles that she'd seen on him before she'd turned the lights out. But she was drunk, he was drunk, and he was a friend... Well, kind of. He was her friend's friend. Or, her friend's brother's friend. If he didn't really want this, if she woke up with regrets, it could change the group dynamic for good, and she'd only just put herself fully back into it again...

But oh, how she wanted him.

The closeness between them was tantalizing, but it wasn't enough. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in and - slowly, softly - pressed her lips against his.

The kiss was nothing like she'd imagined, and although she'd never told anybody - even Ruby - she'd imagined kissing him plenty of times over the years. His lips were softer than she'd expected, and he pressed them to hers gently, almost chastely. Closing her eyes, Emma slowly brought her hand up to rest on his cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble underneath her fingers.

Drawing on the new found confidence that had spurned her on all night, she trailed her hand around to the back of his neck, pulling him a little closer as she parted her lips slightly. He responded immediately, tightening his grip on her as well as she felt his teeth nip lightly at her bottom lip, requesting entrance, and she couldn't have denied him if she tried. Her mouth fell open slightly in a silent moan and he took the advantage, deepening the kiss.

His tongue tasted like rum, and she wondered if she tasted like that too. While her one hand held his head to hers, she let the other trail over his body. Starting at his cheek, she smoothed her hand over his shoulder, his arm, his chest. She was so glad he'd come to bed without a shirt on - she only wished she could see him. And all the while he still kissed her, deeply but still slowly, as if he was savouring it. She knew she was. Both of his hands were on her face and she longed to have him touch her more intimately. She wanted to feel his body pressed against hers, and although he was kissing her eagerly enough, she felt like he was holding his body back.

Maybe he was waiting for her move again. She let her hand drift lower, running it lightly across his stomach and enjoying the way she felt the muscles tense under her touch. When her fingers found the hem of his underwear - was he seriously just wearing underwear? - she felt his hand tight around her wrist. Finally breaking the kiss, he groaned softly, bringing her hand up to kiss her wrist. 'Emma,' he murmured against her skin. 'I should leave to the lounge room...'

She froze, a little stunned. Did he really not...  _I knew it was too good to be true_. But Killian hadn't stopped kissing her wrist, pressing his lips to her skin again and again, and after a moment she felt his hand close around hers, twining their fingers together. He kissed his way slowly along her upper arm, using their joined hands to pull her arm over his shoulder as he did so to pull her closer. She shivered when he licked across the inside of her elbow. 'Tell me to stop,' he whispered, his breath tingling against her wet skin.

Fuck. He was trying to be a  _gentleman?_

How the hell was she supposed to tell him to stop when he was torturing her so wonderfully?

'No,' she whispered, wishing she could see his eyes in the darkness.

He seemed to hesitate, then continued his way up her arm, pushing up the sleeve of her - his - shirt, before skipping the shoulder. She gasped when she felt his stubble rubbing against the sensitive skin at the base of her neck, and couldn't stop a low moan when he parted his lips against her, biting gently before running his tongue across her skin. 'Bloody hell, Emma,' he said breathlessly, and she heard the same desperation in his voice that she felt all throughout her body.

She didn't care what might happen tomorrow - she knew that she was too turned on to be able to look at him the same way ever again anyway. She could tell that he wanted it as much as she did, in the moment, anyway, and she wasn't going to let herself play it safe anymore.

With the hand that still held the back of his neck, she drew him toward her, kissing him passionately as her other arm pulled free of his and wrapped around his waist. She rolled onto her back, pulling him with her until he lay practically on top of her, partially between her slightly parted legs, the space between them finally completely closed. He returned her kiss hungrily, pressing her into the mattress, and finally -  _finally_ \- she felt his hands on her body. One hand held him up while the other ran up her side before finding its way to her breast, squeezing it and then tugging at her nipple through the thin material. Her back arched involuntarily and her hands gripped at his shoulders as he played with her through his shirt.

Breaking the kiss, he returned his attention to her neck once again, giving her the same nipping kisses that he had before as he moved his hand down her body. She shivered when she felt his hand caressing her bare thigh, and she realized that his shirt must have ridden up at some point at the same time that she realized she didn't care. His hand caught her under her knee and she let him bend it, drawing his body in closer to hers, and then it was almost too much. He ground his hips slowly against hers and she could feel just how much he wanted her, pressed right up against her core, nothing separating them but two thin pieces of underwear. Killian swore when she lifted her other leg as well and angled her hips, moving her hips up in time with his.

His mouth was covering hers again, pushing the air out of her, but she didn't need it anyway. His hand slid between them, pushing her shirt up and running his hand across her stomach before slipping it underneath her underwear. He lifted off of her slightly but when she felt the rough pad of his thumb pressing against her clit, she forgave him immediately. He rubbed at her gently, kissing her all the while, swallowing her cry when he slipped a finger inside of her.

It was too much. But not enough, nowhere near enough. 'Killian, please,' she moaned, pushing against him restlessly.

She could almost feel him grinning in the dark, the smug bastard, but she didn't have it in her to care. After a few seconds he withdrew his hands, but only far enough to pull down her underwear, moving away from her as he did so. She felt more than saw him move away from the bed in the darkness, and was about to ask him what the hell he was doing when she heard a rustle and the sound of a packet tearing. Quickly shedding the shirt, she felt the bed dip slightly again after a short pause, and dear god, he was kissing his way up her leg.

By the time he got halfway up her thigh she was trembling uncontrollably, and as much as she wanted his mouth on her, she wanted to feel him more, to have her arms around him and hold him against her. Pulling him the rest of the way up her body, she spread her legs wider, letting him settle between them, and felt her hips rise automatically.

God, he was  _right there_ , and she could feel his hard length press against her core. Needing to feel him, to touch him, she reached down and took him in her hand, enjoying the way that his hips bucked forward slightly and he sucked his breath in quickly when her hand closed around him. She lined him up and was about to push her hips forward when -

'Emma,' he whispered, and his tone made her pause.  _It's a bit too late for second thoughts now, Jones,_ she was about to say, but then he was kissing her fervently, pressing into her.

He slid into her with one slow, smooth motion, filling her and stretching her. Her hands clutched at his arms, fingers digging into his biceps as she did her best to subdue her moan. He gave her a few seconds to adjust to his size before he began to move, pulling almost all of the way out of her before slowly pushing back in.

She was so highly strung, wound so tightly that soon she realized that it  _still_  wasn't enough. Unable to get enough of him, she let her hands roam his body, not truly believing that she was really here with him. She was determined to commit every part of his to memory, but couldn't help but get caught up in the tightness of his biceps, and the way that the muscles in his shoulders moved under her hands when he thrust into her. She wished that the light was on so she could see them, watch him, but she wasn't leaving this bed for anything.

Her hands roamed over his back, holding him tightly against her, and by the time they reached lower Killian's pace had increased, his breathing becoming louder. One arm stayed around his waist, gripping onto his back while the other moved down to his ass. She raised her hips with each of his thrusts, and now she used her grip on his to encourage his faster pace.

He swore heavily when she moaned, feeling her orgasm start to build. 'Fuck, Emma. You feel so good. You're so wet for me. I never thought - oh, god.' He cut off with a loud groan when Emma closed her lips around his neck, determined to make him fall over the edge with her. His hand gripped at her thigh tightly, changing the angle as his thrusts became shorter and slightly erratic, and he groaned again when she sucked at his skin. 'I always knew you'd feel this good,' he whispered against her shoulder.

Her arms tightened around him as she felt herself nearing her peak, trying to smother her moans against his shoulder now that they were escaping her with every thrust. She didn't realize she was moaning his name until a strangled sound came from him. ' _Oh, god, Emma. Oh, Emma, Emma._ ' And there it was, she fell apart as he thrust desperately into her. He swore as she felt her inner walls fluttering around him, and then she pulled him over the edge with her, feeling his whole body stiffen above her as he stilled, all except for the feel of him throbbing inside of her.

Emma felt boneless. After a little while Killian leaned back a little, kissing her forehead, her cheek, her neck, her jaw. She could feel him going soft inside her but he didn't pull out just yet. When he reached her lips she kissed him slowly, thoroughly, revelling in the simplicity of the action and how good his weight still felt above her.

Too soon, he pulled away, rolling onto his back with a heavy sigh. She only had half a moment to mourn the loss before he pulled her toward him, guiding her so that she lay tucked into his side as he relaxed on his back. Resting her head on his chest, she flexed her fingers through his chest hair, smiling against his warm skin when his arm came around her to hold her close to him, his hand settling on her waist. His other hand brushed her hair away from her face and then cupped her cheek as he pressed his lips to the top of her head, before he reached down to pull the blanket up to them, settling it over her shoulders.

The sound of his breathing evening out lulled her to sleep.

* * *

The first thing that Emma was aware of was the hard body pressed against her back, and she leaned into the warmth. An arm tightened around her waist slightly, holding her closer, and she felt lips on her shoulder, stubble scratching her skin. 'Killian?' she mumbled, trying to roll over to face him.

'Shh, love.' He kept her where she was, and after a second she relaxed into his arms. She could feel his whole body pressed against her from behind, and it felt too good. 'It's still early,' he whispered, his breath tickling her neck. 'Don't wake up yet.'

'Mmm.' His hand brushed against her stomach and then started to rub gently up and down her side, and although even that simple touch threatened to set her blood afire, it was also relaxing, and she was still so tired. She dozed off again.

When she woke again the warmth was gone, and she rolled over, reaching out for Killian. When she felt nothing but the blanket she reluctantly opened her eyes, heart sinking a little as she realized that she was alone in the bed. Rubbing at her eyes, she looked around the room, now unsurprised to find it empty.

Trying not to let it bother her, Emma shuffled across to the other side of the bed, pulling the other pillow to her chest and pressing her face against it. Yep, it smelt like him. She hadn't imagined everything. Although, she didn't really have another explanation for waking up naked in Killian's bed. She stretched out her limbs slowly, taking a little pride in the slight ache that she felt everywhere.

She remembered waking up. Surely he wouldn't have still been holding her if he was planning on running away. Right?

And the sex itself... She'd only been with Neal before, and she was starting to wonder what she'd been missing out on. Not that he was bad in bed, not really, but she'd never felt the passion that had been so apparent between the two of them last night. It wasn't just about taking their pleasure from the other, but rather, giving it. It was the best sex she'd ever had.

And what he'd said to her.

_I always knew you'd be this good._

Had he imagined this before, too?

She wanted nothing more than to lie spread in Killian's bed all day, but her head was starting to pound. She needed coffee. And food. Wondering how well Ruby's cupboards were stocked today - it was always a bit dubious when her parents were away - she pulled herself from the bed.

Perched on the edge of the bed, she stared at the clothes strewn on the floor. Was it worse to emerge wearing the dress that she'd been wearing last night, or a man's shirt that everyone would know didn't belong to her? Slipping on her underwear and bra, she picked up Killian's shirt and pulled it over her head. It wouldn't be so hard to believe that he'd leant her a shirt to sleep in, right?  _It was the truth, anyway,_ she thought with a smile, and the shirt did cover her probably better than the dress.

Rubbing the tips of her fingers under her eyes to hopefully remove as much of her likely panda eyes as possible, and running her hand quickly through her hair to attempt to tame it, she opened the bedroom door and quietly made her way to the kitchen.

Graham, Victor and Alice sat at the breakfast bar, identical expressions of misery and exhaustion on their faces. Ruby stood at the opposite counter, pouring coffee into mugs. 'Morning,' she mumbled to everyone, heading straight to the coffee. Grabbing a mug, she looked up to see Ruby staring wide-eyed at her neck. 'What -'

'Geez, you need a hairbrush,' Ruby said, pulling at Emma's hair and resettling in over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows and looking pointedly down at her neck.

Dear god, she had a hickey. Why hadn't she thought of that? Grateful that Ruby's back was to the others so they hadn't seen what she was looking at, Emma gave her a small smile of thanks before moving past her to sit next to Graham at the breakfast bar. She wouldn't be able to leave the house without telling her absolutely everything.

Taking a long drink of her coffee, she looked up when she set the mug down and realized everyone was staring at her. Ruby's grin was absolutely wicked. 'What?' she asked, sighing heavily.

'Just appreciating your choice of attire,' Graham said smugly, waggling his eyebrows in a fair imitation of Killian.

She could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks, but forced her embarrassment down. She was about to put this on Ruby, but when Victor snorted into his coffee she targeted him instead. 'This is your fault,' she accused, leaning forward and pointing her finger at him past Graham. 'Not only did I have to find somewhere else to sleep, but I had to find something else to sleep  _in_.'

'And just how much sleeping did you do?' he asked her, his grin practically splitting his face in two. She wanted to throw something at him.

'She did plenty,' a voice came from the doorway and Emma spun around to see Killian walk into the kitchen followed by Jefferson, both of them carrying bags. 'I have to say that the floor was less than comfortable, though.' Walking past her to set his bags on the counter, he turned to wink at her.

Feeling everybody's eyes on her, Emma lowered her gaze. 'Um. Sorry.'

'Never mind, love. I'm always a gentleman.'

Graham groaned loudly from beside her. 'Oh, here we go.'

Jefferson and Killian had bought a ridiculous amount of pancake mix, and they'd apparently decided that a night of partying wasn't enough time together - they were all having a movie day. The idea of a movie day suited Emma fine considering how little she felt up to doing today, but she was nervous about spending the day with Killian when they hadn't had a chance to talk about what had happened the night before.

The guys seemed determined to provide breakfast for the girls. Ruby pulled her away to her bedroom under the guise of finding her something normal to wear, but Emma saw through her immediately. As soon as the bedroom door was closed Ruby turned on her. 'Well?!'

Emma shrugged, playing dumb. 'Well what?'

Ruby groaned loudly, then went to her wardrobe. 'Don't make me drag it out of you, Emma, because you know I will!'

A little comforted by her friend's lack of judgement - so far, anyway - Emma pulled on the jeans she'd worn yesterday and accepted the tank top that Ruby passed to her. A little reluctant to take Killian's shirt off, she sat on the bed. After a second Ruby joined her. 'Killian maybe didn't sleep on the floor,' she said slowly, waiting for Ruby's reaction.

Ruby squealed - actually squealed - and gripped her into a hug. 'Emma, this is awesome! Jefferson made me not tell you, because none of us wanted to make it more awkward than it was because of Neal, but Killian's had eyes for you since forever. Was it good?'

Emma laughed, unsurprised by Ruby's curiosity but feeling a little overwhelmed by what else she'd said. 'Ruby, we've always said that Killian was sex on legs.'

'Yes, but what was the sex like  _in bed_?'

'You can't say  _anything,_ ' she warned, waiting until her friend nodded emphatically before continuing. 'It was... incredible.'

Emma let Ruby gush over her some more. When she pulled Killian's shirt off, Ruby started laughing. 'What?' she asked her, frowning.

'Oh, Emma. You can't wear that tank top.' Grabbing her by the shoulders, she led her across to the mirror. Emma stared at her reflection, taking in all the small, dark marks that covered the base of her neck and her shoulders. After a moment she started laughing, too.

A knock at the door quietened them, and Emma quickly pulled Killian's shirt back on. 'Yeah?' Ruby called, throwing Emma a hairbrush.

'Breakfast,' Killian called from the other side of the door. Ruby practically ran to the door, opening it quickly. Ruby grinned up at Killian blatantly. He glanced across at Emma, then back at Ruby, and a slow smirk spread across his face. 'What, Ruby?'

Ruby crossed her arms across her chest. 'Emma needs to borrow your shirt for a little while longer,' she said cheerfully.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked back at Emma. 'Okay,' he said slowly.

'Good. I'll give the two of you a moment.' Winking at Emma, she fled the room before she could say anything, pushing Killian a little into the room as she did so.

The two of them stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. Emma wanted to look away, starting to feel awkward, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. After a few seconds he pushed the door mostly closed and took a few steps toward her. 'Is there a reason why you need my shirt?' he asked her, eyebrow raised.

The humour in his voice made her relax, and she pulled the neck of the shirt down to reveal the marks that he'd left on her. 'Apparently Ruby doesn't own anything that's not low cut,' she joked.

Killian came closer again until he was standing right in front of her. 'Sorry,' he said softly, but she caught the twinkle in his eyes.

'Are you really?' she asked, grinning, and he laughed.

'Well, no. But are you?' Angling his head back, his fingers ran across his own neck, pointing out marks on his skin that she hadn't noticed before.

For some reason, the fact that she'd left her own mark on him made her extremely proud. 'Not really,' she admitted.

His grin faded into a slightly more intense look as he stepped closer again, lifting his hands to rest on her waist, rubbing at her sides gently through the thin material. 'I like the look of you in my clothes,' he told her. Their faces were inches apart, his lips so close.

Needing something to hold onto, Emma reached up and gripped his shoulders, swallowing when she remembered how much she'd wanted to watch his muscles move when he held himself above her last night.

'Emma,' he began, then hesitated, moving back slightly. 'Emma, I don't want you to regret last night.'

 _He_  was worried about that? That had been her biggest fear since she'd woken to find him gone. 'I don't,' she told him quickly. 'I don't want you to, either.'

'I don't,' he said, leaning in toward her again.

'Wait,' she said, looking away. He stopped, his body tensing, and she made herself look back up at him. His expression caused a heaviness in her stomach, and she really hoped he'd understand what she had to say next. 'I don't regret it, and I'd very much like to have a repeat performance,' she paused, smiling at him, but his answering smile didn't reach his eyes, 'but -'

'But you only just got out of a relationship,' he said slowly.

'A long one. And a hard one.' She felt her smile falter completely. 'I need to be fair to myself, Killian. I shouldn't just jump back into the same thing.'

Was that anger that flashed in his eyes. 'I am not the same as  _him_ ,' he growled, then looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath. 'I'd never treat you like that,' he said quietly.

Was that quick anger a show of protectiveness of her? She remembered what Ruby had said earlier, and how tender he'd been with her last night. Had she really been that blind for so long? 'I know,' she whispered.

When he looked back at her, she was surprised to find him smiling, all traces of anger and hurt gone. 'Have dinner with me. Let me take you out. We don't need to jump straight into anything, let's just go on a date and take it slow. Easy,' he said, grinning proudly.

She smiled up at him uncertainly. 'I think we've already failed at taking it slow,' she said, reaching up to gently rub her fingers across the marks she'd left on his neck.

He smirked. 'Perhaps.' His hands slid to her waist again. 'You'll have to tell me how slowly you want us to go in that regard, Emma, because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you.'

And she didn't want him to. Twining her arm around his neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him, smiling when he responded immediately by tightening his grip on her and deepening the kiss. She had no idea how much time passed but when they finally broke apart, they were both gasping. 'I'd love to have dinner with you,' she said breathlessly. 'Just... you're not going to leave again, are you?'

'No, love. I'm staying right here.'

They joined the others for breakfast, ignoring the curious looks that they got from everyone but Ruby and Jefferson. She wondered how much Killian had told him on their trip to the store. After breakfast everyone made their way to the lounge room. Emma visited the bathroom first and when she joined them, she was mostly unsurprised to see that the other seat left was between Killian and Ruby, with Victor on Ruby's other side. Jefferson and Alice were stretched out atop a pile of pillows on the floor, and Graham was leaning back in the recliner. She narrowed her eyes at everyone, wondering who had set that up, before sinking into the couch beside Killian.

She was incredibly conscious of every spot their bodies touched, his leg and arm pressed against hers. Toward the end of the first movie Ruby pulled a large blanket from somewhere and threw it over the four of them. As soon as their bodies were covered Killian's hand gripped hers, squeezing it gently. He seemed to understand her need to keep it a little quiet and not make a big deal just yet, and she squeezed his hand back, relaxing a little more on the couch.

Jolting, Emma sat up straighter and looked around her. Everyone else was watching the movie with varied states of alertness, but the movie had changed, and - recognizing the scene - she realized that she'd dozed through half of it. Killian's hand was still loosely holding hers, and she realized that she'd been sleeping on his shoulder. He was watching her, and she wondered whether he'd just looked across when she'd jumped awake or whether he'd been watching her longer than that.

'Sorry,' she whispered, trying to sit up straighter. Her head was pounding, her hangover only getting worse.

'Don't be silly,' he told her, slipping his arm around her waist and guiding her to rest her head back on his shoulder. She hesitated for a moment but then relaxed into him, and his hand slipped underneath her shirt, coming to rest on the skin at her side. His touch was too distracting for her to fall asleep again, but she didn't mind one bit, snuggling closer to him.

Later that afternoon, Emma had to return to reality and headed home. She'd just pulled into her driveway when she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and pulled it out to see a txt from Killian.

_I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow?_

Biting her lip, she stared at the message for a full minute before typing her reply.

_I'll see you then_


End file.
